Surfer Poll Relocates To North Shore

The new backyard for the Surfer Poll Awards. Photo courtesy SURFER/Ellis

SAN CLEMENTE, Calif., July 30, 2010 – After 39 years on the Mainland, SURFER Magazine is pleased to announce the 40th anniversary of SURFER Poll is being relocated to the Turtle Bay Resort on O’ahu’s North Shore, December 6, 2010, in conjunction with the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing. Helping to bring the event to this culturally significant location are presenting sponsors Verizon Wireless and Samsung.

“We’re really excited to be bringing SURFER Poll to the mecca of surfing during the most exciting month on the surf world’s calendar,” says SURFER Publisher Tony Perez. “We owe a lot of thanks to the incredible North Shore community, Verizon Wireless and Samsung, and to the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing for allowing us the opportunity to further enhance the prestige of SURFER Poll.”

“Moving SURFER Poll to the North Shore is a no-brainer,” says SURFER Editor-in-Chief Joel Patterson. “Hawaii is the heart of the surf community, and the Vans Triple Crown is the grand finale of our year…how could ‘the biggest night in surfing’ not be December 6th at the Turtle Bay Resort? And moving the event is giving us the opportunity to make some exciting changes and to think about the night from a new perspective.”

Each year, the SURFER Poll (the surf equivalent of the People’s Choice Awards meets the Academy Awards wrapped up into one raging party) crowns the Top 10 male and Top 5 female surfers as voted on by SURFER’s readers. Past Poll winners include: Andy Irons, Stephanie Gilmore, Tom Curren, Lisa Andersen, and, of course, 15-time No. 1 Kelly Slater, to name a few. Online voting for 2010 will kick off in early August.

But the Poll is only half the night. The video awards show honors the best individual performances of the year as well as the best cinematography, heaviest wipeout, and the film of the year. And with the explosion of incredible web-exclusive surf filmmaking in the past few years, award categories have been added to recognize everything from the cutting edge of performance, to the great work of environmental and humanitarian champions, to surfing’s lighter side.

Along with all of the world’s top surfers in attendance each year, SURFER Poll also attracts an onslaught of notable personalities from the worlds of action sports, professional sports, movies, television and music.

Although the event is limited to invited guests only, fans the world-over can catch all of the action as it happens via a live webcast with behind-the-scenes and red-carpet reporting as well as exclusive interviews with the winners.